Tampa Bay Rays Abandon $1.3B St. Pete Stadium Deal

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Tampa Bay Rays won’t move ahead with plans to redevelop 86 acres in the Historic Gas Plant District, including the construction of a new stadium, the team announced Thursday in a social media post.

“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” the team said in a statement posted on Facebook. “A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.”

The announcement comes two weeks before a March 31 deadline to commit to building a new stadium and developing the land around it.

The $1.3 billion redevelopment deal has been in limbo since the fall, after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field, the team’s home.

The Rays said the team plans to return to Tropicana Field in 2026 following repairs.

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“While the decision of Tampa Bay Rays ownership to terminate the agreements for a new stadium and new development is a major disappointment, it is not unexpected. Nor is it the end of the Historic Gas Plant District story,” Mayor Ken Welch said in a statement.

Welch said the city will continue to plan for the redevelopment of the district “to benefit the community and fulfilling the 40-year-old promises of economic development and opportunity made to the African-American community in St. Petersburg, as well as the community priorities identified through the current development process, which began in 2022.”

The city also remains committed to its agreement with the team to pay for repairs to Tropicana Field following its hurricane damage.

“As for the future of baseball in our city — if in the coming months a new owner, who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities, emerges — we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete. But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner,” Welch said.

The Rays will play this season’s home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the New York Yankees’ spring training facility.